Lord of the Rings Part I: The fellowship of the ring
by rokeat
Summary: A young hobbit from The Shire finds herself on the biggest quest of his life when she has to safe the Middle-Earth from the menace of the Dark Lord Sauron. Fortunately for her, he will not be alone in his journey, for he will have the help of Men, Elves, Dwarves and Wizards to fulfill her destiny. BLAM. THIS IS AN ALTOGETHER AU, FREE VERSION OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
1. The forming of the fellowship

_**Summary:** A young hobbit from The Shire finds herself on the biggest quest of his life when she has to safe the Middle-Earth from the menace of the Dark Lord Sauron. Fortunately for her, he will not be alone in his journey, for he will have the help of Men, Elves, Dwarves and Wizards to fulfill her destiny. BLAM._

 _THIS IS AN ALTOGETHER AU, FREE VERSION OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS, WITH THE CHARACTERS OF GLEE AS THE MAIN CHARACTERS._

 _ **A/N:** Ok, so you're really have to bear with me in this... I hope you don't think I'm too much of a freak! Yes, this is The Lord of the Rings (freely adapted, though), in which our boys (and many other people) take the place of the main characters. I'm quite nervous as how this is going to be received, as even I can see it's a bit weird, but well, I hope you like it!_

 _I started writing this for another fandom a few years ago, and it was a bit difficult reassigning the characters, so I hope you'll be understanding (especially in regards of their heights). I know you all see Blaine as a hobbit, but I've always shipped Aragorn and Legolas so yes, Blaine is an elf in this one. He is strong and gracious in spite of his height, so I think he makes a great elf. And well... maybe in my story darwes don't necessarily have to be shorter than human bc... Sebastian is a dwarf XD If you want to imagine him short or not is up to you, but of course he had to be there and be Blaine's friend._

 _Oh, and I've changed the gender of many characters too, I didn't want an all-boy story!_

 _Gosh, I know I'm making like the worst publicity ever for it, but please, give it a chance! I promise lots and lots of blam in between the action! And don't worry if you haven't watched the movies and are not familiar with the plot, I've tried to make it simpler than the original one and focus more on the characters._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: THE FORMING OF THE FELLOWSHIP**

Kitty Baggins sighed loudly as she woke up in Rivendell, in a comfortable bed that was way too big for a hobbit. Finally she was recovering from the wound received on her way to the Elvish land. It had been a long and difficult journey from The Shire, full of danger and perils that had made her fear for her life and that of her gardener and best friend, Marley Gamgee. Luckily for them, they had run into that man, Strider he called himself, who kept their journey from finishing before it had even started. Kitty was very aware that without Strider's help they would have not been able to make it to Rivendell. And that's why she was so grateful for his presence and help.

Everything had started when Kitty had received a curious ring from her uncle, back at The Shire. Turns out her uncle had found it in one of his many travels of youth and had kept it for decades until Beiste, the Grey Witch, a good friend of his, had found out about it, had identified it as the one taken from the Dark Lord Sauron centuries ago, and had urged him to get rid of it, as it represented all the evil of the world and needed to be destroyed. Her uncle had been lucky it had not possessed him completely, even if Kitty had seen it affected him terribly after so many years. That's why he couldn't be the one to get rid of it, because he would never be able to let it go. And that's why the task had fallen on her.

But the Ring was not to be destroyed easily, so Kitty had volunteered to take it to the Elvish land of Rivendell –or Imladris, in Elvish language–, so what to do with it would be decided in a council with the wisest and strongest individuals of every race of Middle Earth, and Marley Gamgee had offered to go with her. And that was when Beiste had promised to meet them in the little town of Bree.

Beiste wasn't able to make it to Bree, though, so she had sent her friend for him, a strong and courageous man known as Strider, a Ranger from the North, that had made sure Kitty and Marley would arrive safely to their immediate destination –even though he hadn't been able to prevent Kitty from receiving a serious wound in her middle when a battle with the Nazguls had broken.

But now she was in Rivendell and she was well. Beiste had told her the Council was supposed to take place that day, as soon as the representatives of each race would arrive. So Kitty slowly got up and made sure the ring was with her, before she dressed up and started her way towards where the Council was to take place. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Strider was sitting in those gardens he knew so well –after all, he had grown there, raised by the elves that had become their family–, with a hood covering his head and most of his face, when he heard horses approaching. His heart started beating faster at the expectation of seeing his loved one again after such a long time, making it difficult even to breathe normally. Even for a half-elf like him, two years were a long time.

The first to arrive were the Dwarves. Strider didn't know any of the three dwarves already crossing the gates of Imladris, but he had known other dwarves in his life and knew about his prideful personality and their ancient hate towards the elves. He hoped no problems would arise between the two peoples.

The next to arrive were the men, coming from Gondor. Strider hissed nervously: there could be problems with them too, as soon as they found out who he was.

And then there they were: the elves from Mirkwood. And amongst them was his loved one, as beautiful and graceful as always. He knew they wouldn't be able to even talk to each other before the Council took place: their love was still a secret for most of the creatures there, and they wished it to remain like that for some time yet. At least until the War was over and the issue with the Ring solved. But that didn't mean he couldn't send a discreet grin towards his loved one, who immediately recognized him from the distance even under the hood that covered most of his face, and sent a big smile, full of love and promises, to him in response. Gosh, he had missed him.

* * *

As everyone had already arrived, the Council, which later would be known as Schuester's Council because he was the one presiding over it, started. Schuester stood up and directed his gaze to each individual –men, elves, dwarves, a witch and a tiny little hobbit–, sitting in a circle around him, before he started speaking.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old... You've been summoned here to answer to the thread of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom" then he turned his gaze towards Kitty, the only hobbit there. "Bring forth the ring, Kitty"

Kitty nervously stood up in front of the creatures from all around Middle-Earth and placed the ring in a circular rock where they all could see it.

"So it's true" one of the men from Gondor, apparently their leader, exclaimed.

Strider looked at him severely: he didn't trust him.

Each one of those present in the council felt a strange sensation at having the cursed ring so near them, as if a dark force was asking to enter their hearts. None of them were as affected by it as the man from Gondor, though, who slowly approached the ring and tried to grab it.

"Finn!" both Schuester and Beiste cried at the same time, stopping him at once, and then Beiste threw a litany in the language of Mordor to recede the corruption the ring provoked on some of the creatures there, especially Finn.

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris" Schuester protested, looking reproachfully at Beiste.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Schuester" Beiste answered, "for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West. The ring is altogether evil"

"It is a gift" Finn contradicted him, already greedily thinking of the use they could give to it. "A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use that ring? Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him"

"You cannot wield it. None of us can" Strider interrupted, trying to make him understand the danger it represented. "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master"

"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?" Finn asked him contemptuously, to which Strider only sighed in an attempt of remaining calm at the other's insolence.

But of course not everybody was as patient.

"This is no mere Ranger. He's Sam, son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor. You owe him your allegiance" the young elf from Mirkwood stood up, fierce in his defence of his loved one.

Everyone, including Finn, stared dumbfounded at Sam, now that his identity had been revealed. As the first born of the ruling Steward of Gondor, Finn had cherished the hope of ruling Gondor someday. The existence of an heir to the crown was a big setback to his aspirations.

"Sam!" Finn exclaimed. "This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor" the elf insisted.

"Sit down, Blaine" Sam asked him, gently but firmly, for as he understood Blaine's impetuous nature and his need to defend Sam's honour, he would have liked for his identity to remain hidden a bit longer.

"Gondor has no king" Finn told Blaine as they both sat down again. "Gondor needs no king"

"Sam is right" Beiste intervened when the moods relaxed a little. "We cannot use it"

"You have only one choice" Schuester said, standing up again. "The Ring must be destroyed"

"What are we waiting for?" one of the dwarves murmured angrily as he stood and gave a sharp bang to the Ring with his axe, meaning to destroy it, only to have his axe broken in pieces at the contact and the ring staying intact even after the dwarf ended up on the floor.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Sebastian, son of Glóin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there it can be unmade" Schuester explained as he helped the dwarf to his feet. "It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came" he hesitated before saying the next words. "One of you must do this"

"One does not simply walk into Mordor" Finn protested in an arrogant tone. "Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye is ever-watchful"

"Have you heard nothing Lord Schuester has said?" Blaine intervened, again standing up to confront Finn. "The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you are the one to do it" Sebastian reproached Blaine, his hate for the elves speaking for him. "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!"

Sam didn't like the tone on Sebastian's voice at all and how he implied that Blaine's intentions were not honest, but he had to remain calm and impartial. He had a strong and clear destiny to achieve and defending one people against the other would only make it more difficult. Besides, he knew Blaine and he was perfectly capable of defending himself against rude words.

Everyone jumped from their seats, arguing between them, angry words caused by fear flying around the circle of chairs. In the confusion, no one noticed Kitty looking intently at the ring, hearing words spoken by it in her head, until she understood what she had to do. She decidedly stood up and spoke as loudly as she could.

"I will take it. I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though... I do not know the way"

Everyone looked at her, some of them amazed at her bravery, others thinking he had gone insane. Beiste approached her and put her hand to Kitty's shoulder.

"I will help you bear this burden, Kitty Baggins, as long as it's yours to bear"

"If by my life or death I can protect you I will" Sam also offered, kneeling in front of the petite creature. "You have my sword"

"And you have my bow" Blaine added in a rush.

Sam looked at him, thunderstruck. He had not expected Blaine to come with them in such a dangerous adventure, but Blaine refused to look at him, probably knowing what he would find in his eyes.

"And my axe" Sebastian volunteered too, making Blaine roll his eyes at being forced to travel with a dwarf.

"You carry the fates of us all, little one" Finn told Kitty, making it clear he had no intention of staying aside as other people took care of something so precious. "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done"

"Hey!" Marley shouted from the place behind a tree where she had been eavesdropping the whole Council. "Madam Kitty is not going anywhere without me!"

"Seven companions" Schuester observed as he looked at the group that had awkwardly formed in front of him. "So be it. You should be the Fellowship of the Ring"

* * *

A while later every one of the members of the newly formed Fellowship of the Ring were gathering their personal belongings and getting everything ready for their journey. Sam walked decidedly to where Blaine was standing with the others and very discreetly picked up his hand and squeezed it before letting go of it, as a signal to follow him as he went deeper into the leafy gardens of Rivendell. Blaine waited for a couple of minutes, pretending to check his bow and arrows, and then entered the garden too.

Blaine had a quick look around the trees and couldn't see Sam anywhere, so he kept advancing until he felt a pair of arms grabbing him from behind and turning him around to press his back into an ancient and giant tree.

Sam stood just looking at his loved one's face for a second, spellbound as always at his Elven beauty, before he captured his lips in a deep and long kiss, full of longing for their time apart and ever-present love. As Sam ran his fingers through Blaine's silky and curly hair and put an arm around his waist, Blaine hooked his arms firmly against Sam's neck to bring him closer to him, not breaking the kiss until the lack of air forced them to.

When the kiss finally broke, Sam leant his forehead against Blaine's, not moving an inch apart from him as if he needed to make up for all the time they had lost.

"I've missed you so much..." Sam said, his voice only a whisper because of the emotion.

"Not as much as I've missed you" said Blaine, joining their lips together again, as he couldn't get enough of Sam after so much time apart, and then engulfing him in a strong and long embrace. "I can't believe that the first time we meet after so much time is under such dreadful circumstances" Blaine whispered in his ear, not trusting his voice not to break if he spoke any louder.

Sam gently extricated from Blaine's embrace so as to be able to look at his face, but didn't lose the contact completely, as his hands remained on Blaine's waist.

"I don't want you to come on this quest" Sam cautiously said, knowing the reaction he was going to obtain from his lover.

"What? I thought you wanted me at your side" Blaine answered, completely shocked.

"I do" Sam told him, trying to remain calm for the sake of their relationship, "but above everything else I want you safe. And you won't be if you join us in this journey"

"Well, I could say as much about you, couldn't I?"

"It's not the same, I've fought many battles in my life, I'm an experienced warrior. Unlike you. You're still so young..."

"Do I have to remind you I'm a couple of thousand years older than you?"

"Yes, but you're still young to the eyes of the elves. And you have never fought in a war"

"No, but I have been trained my whole life to do it. I'm pretty sure you had never been to a battle before the first time you went to one either, had you?" Blaine angrily retorted.

Sam couldn't help the corners of his mouth curving up at Blaine's logic and stubbornness. He knew he was right: he was never going to become a skilled warrior if not given the chance. And he had seen him training. He was good with his bow, dead good, and he was not bad at all with his knives either. But still...

"But I'll have to protect Kitty, I don't know if I'll be able to look after both of you" Sam said, without thinking of the implications to what he had just said.

Blaine removed the arms he still had around Sam and abruptly moved a bit away from him, giving his back to his lover in obvious anger.

"Who do you think I am, a little kid that needs to be looked after? Don't get this wrong, Sam, I'm going there as an equal, as a warrior. I'm not a little hobbit, I'm an elf. My mission is the same as yours: protect Kitty on her way to her destiny. I didn't ask for your protection. In fact, I don't want it" and with that he started walking away from Sam, terribly offended by his lack of trust in his survival abilities.

Sam immediately understood how he had undervalued Blaine, and how angry he would have got if these words had been directed at him a few years ago, when he had started fighting. Especially if they came from the person who was supposed to support him and trust him the most in the world. Feeling guilty, he ran behind Blaine and gently grabbed one of his arms to make him stop.

"Blaine, wait" he was able to stop Blaine, but the elf stubbornly remained with his back to him. "I'm sorry, I know I hurt you with my words. And you're right, you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, I know how skilled a warrior you are, even if you don't have the experience. Which you will never have if you're never allowed to try. Forgive me, I was only thinking of myself and how much easier it would be for me if I didn't have to worry about your safety. And not because I think you can't take care of yourself, but because I love you and I wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to you. And everyone is at risk in a battle, it doesn't matter how skilled a warrior you are, right?"

"And how do you think I would feel waiting for you here, doing nothing while you fight all those perils, never knowing if you are safe, or even alive?" Blaine said, turning around and looking intently at Sam's eyes.

"You're right, I never thought of that" Sam relented, lowering his face in guilt. "Please, forgive me"

Blaine didn't answer, but hugged Sam again, forgiving and loving as ever.

"There is nothing to forgive, I know you just worry about me" Blaine said, his face hidden on the crook of Sam's neck.

"Of course I do. I love you so much..."

"And I love you. That's why, in spite of everything, I'm looking forward to making this trip with you. I need to be by your side so much..."

Sam smiled and lovingly moved a stray curl on Blaine's forehead to the side and then leant over to kiss him one last time, slow and tender.

"Come, my love, they must be waiting for us" he said as he picked Blaine's hand in his, kissed it, and didn't let go of it until they reached the end of the garden.

* * *

"The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest of Mount Doom" Schuester said, as the seven members of the so-called Fellowship of the Ring awaited to leave. "Farewell, hold to your purpose. May the blessings of Elves, Men and all Free Folk go with you"

"The fellowship awaits the Ring-bearer" Beiste pronounced, waiting for Kitty to start the journey.

Sam looked at Blaine furtively and sent him a small but meaningful smile. Blaine returned it and both of them, as the rest of the fellowship, started their Quest to keep Kitty safe during the worst of wars that any creature from the Middle-Earth had ever had to endure. But at least this time they were together. And together they could do anything.

* * *

 **CHARACTERS:**

Aragorn: Sam

Legolas: Blaine

Gimli: Sebastian

Boromir: Finn

Frodo: Kittie

Samwise: Marley

Gandalf: Coach Beiste

Elrond: Will Schuester

* * *

 _ **A/N:** Any thoughts?_


	2. Karadhras

_As usual,_

 ** _Darrinia:_** _Well, if you're not a fan of LotR you should be! :) But thanks for trusting me, I hope you don't have to regret it. Un besazo, guapísima!_

 ** _Midlifecrissis:_** _Well, really, you should check LotR, at least the movies, they're amazing! But i'm so glad you gave me a chance anyway, I hope you grow to like it. Don't worry about the plot (I'm going to keep it simple) or the action, just concentrate on all the blam loving :) Thank you so much, honey!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: KARADHRAS**

The Fellowship of the Ring started their journey, on foot, through the lands of Middle-Earth to Mordor, on the most dangerous mission no man, elf, dwarf or hobbit had ever embarked on. They would keep the way for forty days to the west of the Misty Mountains, hoping that the gap of Rohan would still be open to them.

Every day they would walk the whole morning, stop for a quick lunch –at least it was quick for the hobbits, used as they were to having long and copious meals– and resume their journey until the sun was close to set. Then they would have a rest, have dinner and enjoy the company of the others as much as they could, for they still didn't know much of one another and tensions were quite visible between Sam and Finn and between Blaine and Sebastian.

One of the evenings they made camp around a fire in which Marley had made supper. They were surrounded by big rocks, so as not to be so exposed to any possible danger. Finn was trying to teach some moves with a sword to Kitty, as Sam watched them, relaxed, smoking on his pipe. He turned his gaze towards Blaine, standing a few feet away from them gazing at the faraway trees, his bond with nature as strong and necessary to him as always. Blaine seemed to feel the gaze of his lover on him as he turned around to look back at Sam, giving him a hint of a smile to which Sam responded with a wink of his eye. Then Blaine jokingly wrinkled his noise in disgust at Sam's smoking and the latter had to stifle a chuckle at his lover's ever-present dislike for his pipe.

Sam craved for much more than that, to be able to touch and hold and caress his loved one, but both of them knew that the time to reveal their love to the world had not come yet. It would be difficult enough for Sam to claim the throne of Gondor after so many years without a king, without people knowing (Finn included) that he was in love with another male, and an elf, on top of that.

Beiste and Sebastian were still enjoying their dinner, but Sebastian seemed to be in a bit of a bad mood.

"If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taking the long way around" he announced his travelling companions, though only Beiste listened to him. "Beiste, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give as royal welcome"

"No, Sebastian, I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice"

An approaching sound took everyone out of his stupor and Blaine jumped gracefully on a rock to scan the horizon with his powerful Elvish-vision. A big shadow was coming towards them too fast to be any cloud, and it was coming against the wind. It didn't take a long time for Blaine to guess what it was.

"Crebain from Dunland!" he shouted for everyone to hear.

"Hide!" cried Sam to make everyone move.

"Hurry! Take cover!" Finn insisted, as they all started grabbing their things to hide them and Marley extinguished the fire. Then they ran towards the rocks and hid under them.

Blaine looked at Sam from his hiding place and could read the worry in his eyes, but the man swiftly masked it and nodded reassuringly to the elf. They didn't have time for more where a flock of thousands of black and terrifying birds flew over their heads, while the travellers held his breathing so as not to make the smallest movement. The crebain, having not seen anything or anyone, passed them by and continued their search where they had come from.

Slowly the fellowship started to come from their hideouts, breathing deep at the relief of having escaped the eyes of the crebain.

"Spies of Sue" Beiste affirmed. "The passage south is being watched. We must take the pass of Caradhras"

Everyone's eyes turned to the tall and snow-capped mountains standing miles from them, threatening and scary. None of them thought they would be able to make it through that pass, especially with the small hobbits, but refrained themselves for saying anything, as Beiste was the leader and he had yet to fail them. They would trust him to the last consequences.

* * *

Walking across the snow, up the hillside of the big mountains, turned out to be very difficult for the hobbits. They were exhausted, and it clearly was slowing them down. On one on the steps, Kitty stumbled and fell, rolling downhill a few feet until Sam was able to stop his descent. Kitty, who had not been hurt, immediately stood up and noticed that in her fall she had lost the Ring, which she carried with a chain around her neck. She looked up and noticed how Finn had found it, had picked it up and was now looking at it intently, with desire.

"Finn" Sam tried to get his attention.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing" Finn couldn't take his eyes off the ring and seemed quite enchanted by it. "Such a little thing..." he was about to put the ring on his finger, and would have done it, if Sam hadn't called him again, this time louder.

"Finn! Give the Ring back to Kitty!"

Finn looked surprised at his own behaviour and approached Kitty to return the Ring to her. He felt ashamed, though he didn't want to show it, so he adopted a confident mask and handed the Ring to the hobbit.

"As you wish. I care not" He told as he ruffled Kitty's hair, although he could clearly see, by Sam's expression, that he had not fooled anyone.

* * *

The deeper they advanced into the mountains, the more the snow had accumulated on their path, to the point that it now reached the waist of the men, totally covering the hobbits, who were being carried now by Sam and Finn. Only Blaine escaped from it, as his light weight as an elf let him walk over the snow instead of being swallowed by it. That's why he could be much faster, so he kept overtaking the group to make sure there were no further perils ahead of them.

The wind hitting their faces was strong and cold that it felt likes knives cutting on their skin. It blew so strongly that they couldn't hear the others unless they shouted. The snow kept falling incessantly, so they were completely soaked, yet they couldn't stop because the cold would kill them.

Blaine, a few feet ahead of the group, heard some distant words, spoken by an evil force.

"There is a fell voice on the air!" he shouted at the others, as he made his way back to them.

"It's Sue!" Beiste yelled over the noise of the storm.

Sue was a powerful wizard, an old friend of Beiste, who had been corrupted by the power of the Ring and now was an ally to the Lord of Mordor, Sauron.

Suddenly some fragments of rock went detached from the mountain, almost falling on the top of their heads.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain! Beiste, we must turn back!" Sam shouted.

"No!" Beiste insisted, as he turned around and resumed his walking until he himself heard the words spoken by Sue.

Beiste tried to talk back to the voice he was hearing, but that seemed to get Sue more angry and she provoked an avalanche, this time the snow falling directly on them and burying them underneath.

Sam was the first to make his way to the surface again, and with a pull of the hood the hobbit was wearing, he got Kitty out too. One by one, the members of the fellowship of the ring popped their heads out of the snow, until only one remained underneath: Blaine. What had been an advantage for him over the snow, turned into a disadvantage under it, as his small weight made it difficult for him to make it through pounds of snow and to the surface again. Sam's heart started beating faster, horribly scared about the welfare of his love, and had to breathe deeply a couple of times before speaking so as not to betray himself.

"Where's Blaine?" he shouted, and even he could see he was not doing a great job at hiding his desperation.

Nobody asked for a second, shrugging their shoulders from their lack of knowledge at Blaine'd fate, looking almost as worried as Sam looked. Only Sebastian seemed to be trying something, he seemed to be doing an enormous effort of strength Sam couldn't understand until he saw his arm break the surface, holding the collar of his loved one, who immediately started breathing fast because of the lack of oxygen while he was buried.

"Thank you, Sebastian" Blaine told him sincerely, once he regained his breath, but Sebastian only grumbled, not sure if he was feeling proud or guilty about helping an elf.

Thanks to the snow, Sam's relieved tears went unnoticed by the others, except for his lover, who looked at him apologetically, telling him with his eyes that he was alright. Sam sighed deeply and nodded, but it would be a long while before a trembling that had nothing to do with cold left his body.

"We cannot pass over a mountain. Let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria" Sebastian suggested, not for the first time.

Beiste remained thoughtful. He didn't want to go into Moria. He knew how deep the dwarves had caved in the darkness, and was afraid of what they might had awoken. Sebastian was right, to go over the mountain was out of question, and taking the pass of Rohan would take them too close to Isengard, where Sue was.

"Let the Ring bearer decide" Beiste said.

Kitty looked scared about having to make such a difficult decision, but she was dying to get out of that cold, so the decision was practically made by itself.

"We will go through the Mines" she pronounced.

"So be it" Beiste answered, hoping against hope they were not making a mistake.

* * *

Night was already falling when they made it to where the entrance of Moria was supposed to be, but they could not see a way to get in, only a dark lake and the hard rock of the mountain.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed" Sebastian explained to the rest.

"Yes, Sebastian" Beiste answered. "Their own masters cannot find them if their secrets are forgotten"

"What doesn't that surprise me?" Blaine sarcastically added, making Sebastian grumble loudly. The damned elf...

When the light of the moon lighted the rock, a door appeared for them to see, though it was still closed, looking as if it was only painted on the wall.

"It reads: _The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter_. If you are a friend you speak the password and the doors will open"

Beiste pronounced a spell, but nothing happened. She tried again with other words, but again, the doors remained closed. She even tried pushing the door, but it was not to be opened without the proper password.

"It's a riddle" Kitty said, suddenly. " _Speak_ friend _and enter_. What's the elvish word for _friend_?"

"Mellon" Beiste answered, and the magic from the door worked and it opened instantly, giving them free access to the Mines.

They passed the entrance, and Sebastian's chest was already puffing with pride at the work done by his people there.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves" he told Blaine. "This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!" Sebastian joked proudly.

Beiste lighted his magical stick so as to put some light in the otherwise complete darkness from the Mine, and to everyone's horror, they could only see dwarves' corpses all around them, spread in every inch of the room they were standing at.

"This is no mine. It's a tomb!" Finn exclaimed, as Sebastian started loudly denying what he couldn't believe.

Blaine looked at one of the arrows lying around, forgotten, and determined that goblins had caused such a massacre. They knew the place could still be infested of them, so it would not be wise to enter deeper into the mines. Just as they were moving backwards to the door, a tentacle came out of the lake outside and grabbed Kitty's foot, throwing her to the floor and dragging her towards the water.

Marley took her little sword and cut the tentacle before it could bring Kitty to the lake, freeing her, but before Kitty could get up from the floor, a big creature came out to the surface and another one of its tentacles stretched towards them and lifted Kitty from the floor by her foot.

Blaine took his bow and started throwing arrows to the monster, though it was too big for an arrow to make much of an impact. Sam and Finn threw themselves to the water and tried to kill the creature with their swords, unsuccessfully too, though just as Kitty was about to be eaten by the horrendous monster, Sam cut the tentacle holding her and Kitty fell on Finn's arms, who immediately started running away, towards the shore.

"Blaine!" Sam cried to his lover, an implied request of killing the beast on his cry, all his trust deposited on him.

Blaine breathed confidently and tensed his bow again, shooting an arrow and this time hitting the monster on the head with it, slowing him down.

"Into the cave!" Finn shouted, and all the members of the fellowship immediately obeyed and closed the doors behind them.

The tentacles of the still-fighting beast hit the doors of the mine strongly, provoking a landslide in the entrance that blocked the way out of the mine. Sam, the last to enter, almost got hid with one of the big rocks falling, but fortunately Blaine saw it and could pull his arm strongly before the wall collapsed completely, leaving them in the most absolute darkness and silence they had ever experienced.

Blaine took advantage of the darkness to embrace Sam strongly to him, almost desperately, as if his life depended on it, planting soft kisses on the skin of his face and neck, adrenaline running high in his veins at almost having seen Sam crushed under the rocks.

"Are you alright, _melamin*_?" Blaine whispered softly in his ear, fear for his lover evident in his voice.

Sam reciprocated the embrace and lovingly caressed the hair on the back of Blaine's head.

"I'm alright, my love, don't worry" Sam said, as he felt Blaine's lips on his for a quick but anxious kiss that he willingly returned. But then Beiste's stick lightened up again and they swiftly let go of one another before anyone could see them.

"We now have but one choice" Beiste told him with a voice full of sorrow. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on guard, there are older and fouler things than orcs in the deep places of the world"

Beiste started walking deeper into the mines, and his traveller companions, though with deep sorrow and fear in his heart, started following immediately, absolute trust in their leader.

"Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side" Beiste warned them. "Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed"

* * *

*melamin: my love

* * *

 **CHARACTERS:**

Saruman: Sue Sylvester


	3. Inside the mines of Moria

_As usual,_

 ** _Darrinia:_** _Well, of course they're going to suffer for the other, and A LOT! I'll make sure of that ;) Un besazo, guapísima!_

 ** _Midlifecrissis:_** _it follows the general plot, but of course the blam scenes are made up (as Aragorn and Legolas are not together in the films, though they should!). Yeah, keeping their relationship a secret is not easy, especially after having been separated for so long and now having to face so many perils. Dont' worry about Sebastian and Blaine not being friends ;) No, I didn't make up the "melamin" word, it's Elvish :) There will be a bit more of it along the story. I will keep going! Thank you for the constant support!_

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Enjoy the long blam scene in this one!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3: INSIDE THE MINES OF MORIA**

Once trapped inside the Mines there was no sense in staying still, so they began walking immediately deeper and deeper into the ground, with reaching the other side of the mountain as their only purpose, with only Beiste's stick lighting up their way. Every now and then Sam would approach Blaine and brush his hand with his own, just to let him know he was thinking of him. Blaine would always smile, the darkness his ally for as the others not to see, and keep walking, feigning in front of everyone else he was not craving to grab Sam's hand and hold it firmly, though Sam knew better.

After having been walking all day they were getting worn out, especially the Hobbits, so they decided to stop for the night in a secluded place, surrounded by rocks that would hide them from any possible foes wandering around. Beiste put the light off, leaving them in an almost complete darkness, so everyone could sleep, and they all curled around the place, lying on the ground and half hiding behind rocks.

After a while, Sam, who had deliberately stayed awake, lifted his head from the floor to see if Blaine was asleep. The elf, however, had not even bothered to lay down, and was sitting with his knees to his chest, perching his back on a distant rock, separated from the others. Sam knew that being under the ground was extremely difficult for Blaine, as Elves needed the contact with nature and open spaces almost as much as breathing. And he was no exception, Sam knew.

Sam checked everyone else was asleep before silently making his way to his loved one. Blaine smiled at him as he moved forwards to free some space between himself and the rock for Sam to sit down behind him. Sam smiled and obediently sat down, one leg at each side of Blaine's, letting the elf rest against his chest and his hand immediately finding his way to Blaine's hair to stroke it lovingly.

"How are you faring, my love?" Sam softly whispered in his lover's ear, so as not to wake the others.

"As well as everyone else" Blaine answered proudly, equally soft, determined not to show any weakness.

"You don't have to pretend with me, love. I know how difficult it is for you to be trapped, away from your trees, especially if it's in a deep mine and in the darkness" Blaine was about to reply, but Sam stopped him. "And don't tell me that it's the same for everyone, because it's not. I grew up in Imladris, amongst your people, remember? You're an elf, it's part of who you are"

"I'll be alright. I don't want to be any weaker than the rest"

"And you aren't. As an elf, and a very beautiful one I must say" Sam added with a smile, causing Blaine to chuckle which had been his main purpose all along "you're superior to us in quite a few aspects, aren't you? So what, don't you have the right to have a little weak spot?"

"I guess..." Blaine shyly admitted.

"So now I'll ask you again. How are you faring?"

Blaine turned on his side so he could look at Sam for a second, and then rested his head under his lover's chin.

"This is horrible. I can't hear a single sound, not the birds, not the trees. I can hardly see anything nor I can feel the wind on my skin. I feel like I can't even breath" Blaine's voice broke a little, and Sam strongly embraced him to his chest, kissing the top of his head. "At least when we walk I can keep my dread at bay. But when we stop... Please, don't think less of me because of that"

"I won't. In fact, I even admire you more than before, which was already a lot, because you're capable of admitting what you are feeling so I can help you deal with it. And because even if you're feeling like this, you are still going through it without a single complaint, able to put your fears aside for the fellowship's behalf. I call that being brave, don't you?"

"For someone who claims not to have a way with words, you always know what to say to make me feel better" Blaine said, planting a kiss on Sam's chest.

"But that's because I know you so well, my love" Sam answered, putting his hand over the one Blaine had lain over his own heart. "You know what came to my mind before, when you shot that arrow to the monster at the lake?"

"What?" Blaine said with a curious smile, knowing Sam was only trying to distract him and feeling very grateful to him for his good intentions.

"I remembered the first time we met and how you almost killed me right there!"

"It was your fault, for entering my realm as if you owned the place!" Blaine played along with him, amused.

"I had been told that Schuester's kin were always welcome at Mirkwood"

"Yes, but I hadn't been to Imladris for decades, I didn't know you were Schuester's foster son! I only saw you as an intruder, and a human, on top of that!" Blaine explained, trying to hold his laughter.

"But do you want to know something? Even while you were standing at the top of that tree, with your bow pointing at me and an arrow ready to shoot, all I could think is how I'd never seen a creature so beautiful in my life"

"Really? I could really only see an intruder" Blaine answered mockingly, earning himself a bit of tickling to his waist.

"You little ungrateful being!" Sam said, as he stopped with the tickling before they awoke someone and started stroking Blaine's hair again, to help him relax.

"But okay, I'll be honest and I'll tell you that as soon as my father stopped me from shooting you, I noticed a strange attraction towards you, especially considering how dirty and hairy and un-elvish you were looking..."

"You've always adored the most brutish and unkempt version of me"

"As much embarrassed as I am to admit it, yes I do" Blaine admitted as he curled himself further against Sam's chest, sleep suddenly making his eyelids very heavy.

"Sleep, sweet love of mine, for I'll guard your slumber" Sam told him as he again kissed the top of his head at seeing Blaine's eyes finally closing. Though glad he had been able to make him relax enough so as to sleep, he couldn't help but realise that it would be a very compromising position –both of them curled together– if one of the others awoke. But the darkness was practically complete, and he didn't think anybody would awake for a few hours at least after the long and weary day they had had, and he didn't have the heart to move Blaine from him now that he was relaxed and asleep, so he decided that they could remain like this for a couple of hours before separating for the rest of the night. He leant his head over Blaine's and closed his eyes, never loosing the embrace around his lover even when he fell asleep.

They spent two whole days walking in the depths of Moria, through narrow passages, steep stairways and long corridors until some movement in a deep hole on the floor caught Kitty's attention and she ran to Beiste to let her know.

"There's something down there!" Kitty hurriedly warned Beiste.

"It's Rachel" Beiste answered without hesitation.

"Rachel?" she asked, surprised that not only Beiste knew there was a creature following them, but knew who it was.

"She's been following us for three days. The Ring has brought her here. She will never be rid of her need for it. My heart tells me that Rachel has some part to play yet, for good or ill, before this is over"

"I wish the Ring would have never found me" Kitty said, pitifully.

"Your uncle was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you are also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought" Beiste told her honestly, glad the Ring had fallen in Kitty's hands, and not on those of some with less noble intentions.

On their fourth day at Moria, they reached a magnificent and enormous hall filled with colossal columns that marvelled them when Beiste gave them more light.

"Behold the Great Realm and Dwarf-City of Dwarrowdelf" Beiste announced.

They were admiring the beauty of such a place when Sebastian discovered an open room to the side with a gravestone and ran towards it, not stopping even when Beiste asked him too, and the rest of the fellowship followed him.

Sebastian immediately saw what he had feared: the tomb belonged to his cousin Balin, as Beiste read on the gravestone. None of the rest said anything in respect and compassion with Sebastian, who started crying at his deceased cousin, even as Finn laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Blaine, his Elvish instincts kicking in, approached Sam to whisper in his ear so the others wouldn't hear, out of respect for Sebastian's pain and not wanting to scare anybody.

"We must move on. We cannot linger"

Sam nodded at him worriedly, because he knew Blaine rarely was mistaken when he sensed a threat, but Beiste was picking a handwritten book from a corpse on the ground and was starting to read it aloud, so they waited.

" _They have taken the bridge and the second hall_ " he started. " _We have barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. We cannot get out_ " Beiste paused for a second, not wanting to pronounce the last words written there. " _They are coming_ "

Just as Beiste finished reading, Marley accidentally stumbled over a corpse on the floor and while trying not to fall, hit another one and threw him over a deep well, causing a thunderous racket that resounded over the entire Mines of Moria. The scandal gave away their location to all those creatures still in Moria, and it was only a second later that they heard the horrible war cries of orcs approaching.

Finn ran to the entrance of the magnificent hall they were in to have a look at the source of the sound, and just as he poked outside, two arrows lodged themselves on the door, right next to his head, to which he immediately retreated and closed the door behind him.

"Stay back! Stay close to Beiste!" Sam yelled at the hobbits.

"They have a cave-troll" Finn announced to the rest.

Blaine started picking up Dwarvish weapons like axes and spears from all around them and passed them on to Sam and Finn so they could use them to bolt the door. They knew it wouldn't take too much time or effort for the orcs to break in, but at least they would be waiting for them all prepared, their bows ready to shoot, their swords ready to fight.

Once the door was barred, Blaine remained next to it tensing his bow, nervous and anxious to fight, but Sam gently pushed him with a discreet hand to his chest a little way backwards with the others.

"Don't stay so near the door or you won't have scope for action" Sam advised the inexperienced warrior, softly enough so the others wouldn't hear and think less of Blaine's battling skills.

Blaine only nodded, knowing Sam knew better, and quietly obeyed.

Sam, Blaine and Finn stood rigid in front of the door, one right next to the other, as Sebastian climbed on top of the gravestone, longing for a good battle to abate his spirit of vengeance.

"Let them come!" he yelled. "There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

Sam and Blaine looked at each other, their eyes full of fear and excitement for the upcoming battle, and the human nodded at his lover, implying with that gesture that he trusted him and that he loved him. Blaine nodded back with confidence and both of them turned their gazes towards the door and tensed their bows, as Finn strongly grabbed his sword and Sebastian his axe.

The door suddenly started shaking brutally, causing a big racket, because of the hits received from the outside from the orcs desperately trying to break in. Because as the book Beiste had read, they had come. And they intended to fight.


	4. The Evenstar

_As usual,_

 ** _Mildlifecrissis:_** _gosh, writing that little scene would be quite awesome, you're right... :) I'm so glad you're enjoying it, even if it's written in quite a poorly way. Oh, even if there is no canon Aragorn/Legolas (although there is a lot of it, really) you should really watch the films, they're amazing! But so glad you're liking this nonesence after all! Thank you so much!_

 ** _Darrinia:_** _yeah, they ould love to make their love known, but it's really not a good time for that :) And yes, they're really in love! :) Gracias, preciosa!_

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Another fluffy blam scene in this one. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4: THE EVENSTAR**

As they noticed they wouldn't be able to open the barred door just by hitting it, the orcs outside started breaking it, making holes in the old wood. What they hadn't counted on was Blaine's excellent aim with his bow, and as soon as the first head poked through the door, Blaine shot and embedded his arrow on it. Sam looked at him pleasantly surprised, and ventured a little smile for his lover that the latter answered with another one of his own.

The door, though, didn't hold much longer and a large group of orcs invaded the room. Sam and Blaine were quick with their bows, killing some of the orcs before they could reach the fellowship, but a moment came when there were too many of those monsters and they were forced to leave the bows and start the hand-to-hand combat, with the help of all the other members of the fellowship –including the hobbits.

The orcs outnumbered them greatly, but they were silly and brutish beings, powerful but poor strategist, so one-to-one they usually were not match for the deeply trained members of the Fellowship. But still, with so many of them...

As they were all viciously fighting, through the wall made an appearance the creature Finn had announced before: an enormous cave-troll, about ten feet tall and like two thousand pounds heavy, daft looking but fierce and strong, with a lose chain hanging around his neck that showed that the orcs had been restraining him, which was not going to be good for them: he was bound to be angry, anxious to move, to fight.

Blaine shot him an arrow as soon as he appeared, which hit him well into the centre of his chest, but a simple arrow was not enough for such a big creature and he barely noticed it. The first being he saw to attack was Marley, who in her attempt to get out of the way, tripped and fell down right next to the troll's feet. The troll noticed and was about to trample her when both Sam and Finn grabbed the Troll's chain and pulled, fortunately stopping his advances so Marley could get away. Finn was not so lucky, though, and as the Troll pulled the chain Finn was holding, he flew and hit a wall, ending up quite stunned. A nearby orc tried to take the chance to embed him with his weapon but Sam, who had seen everything, threw his own sword at the orc's neck and killed him instantly.

Finn shook his head to clear it from the fog remaining there and looked at Sam questioningly, to which Sam only nodded, glad to have helped, and kept on with the battle.

Sebastian and Blaine, in the meantime, kept trying to fight the troll, but it was getting quite hard to get rid of it. When the troll disarmed Sebastian and was about to hit him, Blaine shot another arrow at the monster to get his attention from Sebastian, and climbed in an elevated area of the room to try to fight him from above, but the troll followed him and used his chain to try and hit him.

Sam's heart skipped a beat when he saw the troll throwing his chain repeatedly at Blaine, but he was too far away to help him. Blaine seemed to have the situation under control, though, because lithe as he was, kept avoiding being hit by it one time and another. Next to his skills with the bow, his nimbleness and his feline movements were his most powerful weapons. Finally the chain got caught around a column, much to the troll's surprise, and Blaine took the chance to jump on the monster's head. As he watched his lover put himself at risk like that, Sam felt his knees go weak with fear for him: Blaine had the courage of the beginner, unable to properly calculate the risk taken with every one of his actions. He would have to talk to him about it later. He hoped they would have the chance, he thought, as he saw Blaine shot another arrow to the troll's head, this time hurting him more because of the short distance. The Troll moved dizzily around, forcing Blaine to jump off him so as not to fall.

The troll took the chance to stalk Kitty, who moved behind a column to protect herself. The troll, though, saw her nonetheless and grabbed her, to which Kitty shouted for help. Fortunately for her, Sam heard her and ran to her rescue.

Sam was able to insert a long lance on the troll's chest, but the troll, angry and hurt, tried to defend himself and kept the spear in place to keep Sam from moving. Then he took a swipe at the human with the back of his enormous hand and sent him to the wall behind him, head first, with such a force that he managed to leave him unconscious.

"Sam!" Kitty yelled as she knelt at his side, trying to get him back to consciousness, but the Troll attacked her again and this time he was able to stick a sword on Kitty's torso until she fell heavily on the floor next to Sam.

Sebastian and Beiste took control of the situation and made some wounds on the troll with their swords and axes, fighting furiously against him, and Blaine took the chance of his increasing weakness to throw an arrow to the interior of his mouth to finish him off, to which the troll fell to the floor, finally dead. At the same time, in the other corner of the big room, Finn was finishing off the last orc remaining there.

As everyone ran to the Ring-bearer, Blaine kneeled next to Sam, his heart racing with fear of what he was going to find, and cupped one of his cheeks, gently slapping the other.

"Sam! Sam, do you hear me?" Blaine begged softly in a desperate voice.

While Sam remained unconscious, Blaine turned around to see how Kitty was faring, and was relieved to see that at least she had not really been hurt, as she was wearing a mithril shirt underneath her clothes that had inherited from her uncle and had which protected her from a certain death.

Blaine turned again to Sam, more worried about his wellbeing, and he felt tears coming to his eyes when he noticed his lover had yet to move.

"Sam, don't do this to me! Say something, please!" he whispered to him, half caressing, half slapping his cheek, hoping to get some reaction out of him.

Maybe it was the touch of his lover's hand, or maybe it was the desperation in his voice, but somehow Sam sensed how much Blaine needed him and fought to wake up from his slumber. He heavily lifted one of his hands and laid it over the one Blaine had on his face as he slowly opened his eyes to look at the creature he loved the most in the world. And just the glimpse of those damned tears threatening to fall from Blaine's eyes was enough to bring him fully to consciousness, as there was nothing he hated more in the world than to see his elf crying.

"I'm okay, a little battered but I'll survive" he managed to answer in a reassuring tone after a couple of seconds, marvelling at the way Blaine's face seemed to light up at his words.

"Well, if you keep giving me frights like this I'll kill you myself" Blaine said, meaning to sound strict but being betrayed by his own shaky voice, which Sam noticed so he discreetly kissed the palm of Blaine's hand.

"I'm sorry, love" Sam whispered, making sure not to be heard by anyone aside from his lover.

"You were supposed to be the one worrying about me, yet it seems it's always you who takes the worst part" Blaine only half joked with a shaky sigh.

"You're right, it turns out you are priceless to us in battle"

"It's just beginner's luck" Blaine waved his hand dismissively, embarrassed by the praise, and carefully helped Sam to sit up. Then he moved to kneel behind his back so Sam could rest on him until he was feeling less dizzy and discreetly kissed the top of his head, almost as if he was so relieved to see he was going to be fine that he couldn't stop touching him in some way.

When he sat up, though, Sam finally had the chance to look around, and noticed all his companions were more or less alright or, at least, alive. Even Kitty was already on her feet.

"You alright, Kitty?" he asked, glad that their quest hadn't ended before it had even started.

"Yes, Sam, thank you. You risked your life to safe mine" she answered.

"That's why we all came with you, my friend. I'm glad if I was any help"

"You really were"

Sam nodded at her and then turned his head slightly around to whisper in his lover's ear.

"Love, would you help me stand up?"

Blaine didn't even take the time to answer and instead he put his gentle hands under Sam's armpits to lift him from the floor. And once he had him on his feet, Blaine didn't dare to let go of him for a moment, in case he fell and he needed to support him, but Sam smiled reassuringly at him and he finally did. Fortunately for everyone, Sam seemed to be able to hold his own weight, Blaine could see, and sighed in relief, discreetly wiping off some stray tears from his cheek before anyone could notice it.

Sudden noises coming from the outside of the room alerted them of the arrival of a new bunch of orcs, but this time they had a way out: the hole the Cave-troll had opened at the back wall with his chain and his amazing strength during the figth.

"To the Bridge of Khazad-dum!" Beiste ordered, and every one of them started running after the wizard through the depths of Moria.

Hundreds of Orcs started appearing out of nowhere and ran after them too, until they were completely surrounded by them. The members of the fellowship made a circle around themselves, expecting the beasts to attack them any minute, but then a terrifying sound and a reddish light came from not too far, scaring the orcs and forcing them to leave their preys and hide away.

"What is this new devilry?" Finn asked Beiste.

"A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world" Beiste explained with great sorrow. "This foe is beyond any of you. Run!"

They immediately obeyed their leader and flew out of there as fast as their feet would carry them. Such was their urgency that Finn was close to fall into the deepness of the Mines when a broken stairway ended abruptly –though Blaine, who had the quick reflexes of the elves, grabbed him and prevented his falling.

Luck was clearly not on their side, it seemed, as that stairway they were descending upon to reach the bridge had a big gap on it, making it difficult to go from one side to the other, though they had no other way, as under the stairs there was only darkness and deepness. Blaine, lissom as a cat, jumped before Sam had time to prevent it, but he needed not to worry, as the elf made it to the other side effortlessly. It was clear, though, that it was not going to be that easy for the rest.

"Beiste!" Blaine encouraged the old wizard.

Beiste looked back and heard the Balrog behind them, and how some walls and structures of the Mines were starting to break and fall as the monster advanced. So Beiste obliged and made a big effort to jump the gap, falling in Blaine's waiting arms.

Arrows and spears where starting to fall on them, coming from orcs shooting from far away, and Blaine and Sam used their bows to keep them at bay the best they could. Knowing they couldn't lose any more precious time, Finn grabbed Marley and made the jump successfully, though causing some more rocks to become detached of the stairway and the gap to become even bigger.

Sam turned around to grab Sebastian and throw him to the other side, but the proud dwarf was not about to allow such a dishonour.

"Nobody tosses a Dwarf" he said indignantly before taking impulse and making the biggest jump he was able of. His feet made it to the other side, but the impulse wasn't enough and he was about to fall backwards into the deep when Blaine grabbed his Dwarfish beard and pulled him to safety. "Not the beard!" he yelled indignantly, although he was quite grateful that the elf had saved his life.

Some more fragments came off the part of the stairway where Sam and Kitty were still standing, and the gap became insurmountable, much to Blaine's desperation.

The Balrog could be heard getting nearer, and more and more debris and rocks were falling upon them. One of them rocks fell right behind Sam and Kitty, breaking the stairway definitely and leaving them dangerously standing on a loose fragment that started falling forwards. Sam decided to use that on their advantage so with a bit of luck they would be able to reach the others.

"Hang on!" Sam told Kitty. "Lean forward!"

The fragment they were standing on started falling as Blaine brought his hands to his mouth to hide his encouraging and desperate whispers. But Sam's plan was working, and the stairway was falling towards where the others were standing.

"Come on!" Blaine shouted, not being able to stop himself anymore, when Sam and Kitty were close enough for them to jump.

Sam and Kitty obeyed and jumped just before the fragment they were standing on broke into pieces and fell into the unknown. Kitty fell in Beiste's arms, as Blaine made sure that Sam would fall in his. He just took a second to hold him tight, feeling Sam's arms squeezing him too, before the whole group started running again.

Beiste guided them to the bridge of Khazad-dhum, as the Balrog had finally caught up with them. The beast stood up in front of Beiste, even bigger than the cave-troll had been, and it was all covered in fire.

When Beiste made sure all the other members had crossed the bridge, she stood in the middle of it, staying behind without them noticing.

"You cannot pass!" he shouted at the beast, making the others turn around and watch, astounded, that Beiste was in a very bad position with the only purpose of protecting them.

"Beiste!" Kitty called him, but Beiste completely ignored her.

The members of the fellowship could only watch how Beiste prepared to fiught with the Balrog, only with only her sword and her magical stick as weapons.

"Go back to the Shadow!" Beiste ordered the demon. "You shall not pass!"

And just as she yelled this, Beiste broke the bridge with her stick, making the Balrog fall and disappear under it. His tongue of fire, though, grabbed Beiste's foot on his fall and pulled, leaving her on the verge of falling, only resisting with a fierce grip to the rock.

"Fly, you fools" she told the others just before she let go, making the ultimate sacrifice for her companions, as both her and the Balrog fell on the depths of Moria.

"No!" Kitty shouted desperately, but Finn grabbed her and forced her to run, just as Beiste had asked of them.

It took a moment for Sam too to start running, feeling guilty by the sacrifice made by a dear friend, but Blaine grabbed his hand and made him come back to reality, and he started running next to his lover, after the rest of the remaining members of the fellowship.

They kept running for a few minutes until at last, after four days trapped in the depths of the earth, they made it to the exit of the Mines. Now, free at last, they all stopped, weary, downcast. Marley fell on the floor crying, as Sebastian had to be stopped by Finn to not go into the mines again in search of Beiste. Blaine just looked around, confused, feeling very strange. As a creature from an immortal race, he was not familiar with death, at least not that of his loved ones, and it was something very difficult for him to assimilate. Sam looked at him, and knew what was going on in his head, but with Beiste's absence he was now the leader of the fellowship and his main concern had to be the group. He would comfort him when they got the chance.

"Blaine, get them up" Sam called, as he cleaned his blood-stained sword.

Blaine, through his confusion, immediately obeyed and moved to get Marley up.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Finn implored.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs" Sam answered, patiently. "We must reach the woods of Lothlorien. Come, Finn. Blaine, Sebastian, get them up"

"Kitty?" Blaine asked, when he noticed the absence of the little one.

"Kitty!" Sam yelled when he saw her a few feet away from them, already on her way. Sam understood what Kitty was trying to do: leave on his own so no one else would die on her account. But Sam would made sure they would make it together, he promised himself, as he approached Kitty and laid a comforting hand on the hobbit's shoulder.

* * *

They reached the Elvish land of Lothlorien just before nightfall. They entered the realm of tall tress slowly, prudently, in case they were not welcome.

"Stay close, young hobbits" Sebastian advised them softly. "They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods. An elf-witch of terrible power"

The hobbits were a little scared about Sebastian's words, though Blaine only rolled his eyes at the Dwarf and his nonsense.

"Well, here's one Dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox" Sebastian went on, until he found himself face to face with an elf aiming his bow right at his nose that he had not noticed before. "Oops!"

Other elves surrounded them, all of them with bows ready to shoot. Blaine felt very bad when he too aimed his bow towards his kin, but he knew his loyalty now resided with the fellowship.

"The Dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark" one of the elves spoke, and Sebastian could only grumble indignantly.

Sam watched as Mike, the lead soldier of the elfs of Loth Lorien, so similar and so different from his elven lover at the same time, he graciously moved around them until he came to stand in front of Blaine.

"Welcome Blaine, son of Thranduil" he offered to Blaine, the only elf in the group.

"Our fellowship stands in your debt" Blaine answered, humbly lowering his face as a sign of respect even if Sam knew Blaine and Mike were childhood friends –he had meet him himself a couple of times in his frequent visits to Blaine's realm.

"And Sam of the Dunedain" Mike acknowledge, turning to Sam instead. "You are known to us"

Sam nodded in appreciation of Mike's courtesy.

"You will follow me, I will take you to the heart of Elvendom on Earth, the Realm of Dwan, Lady of Light"

The members of the fellowship were led through majestic houses and beautiful corridors between trees until they were in front of the most beautiful and wise Lady they had ever seen: Quinn. Sebastian was particularly and strangely drawn to her, and he started to believe that the legends talking about how any creature could fall under her beauty's spell were true.

"Six there are here" she pronounced, "yet seven were set out from Rivendell. Beiste the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. She has fallen into Shadow"

"She was taken by both Shadow and flame" Blaine answered in the name of everyone, trying hard for his voice not to shake as much as his heart was doing.

"Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dhum fill your heart, Sebastian, son of Gloin" she softly told Sebastian when she noticed he was feeling guilty about losing their friend in the lands of his kin, through which he had insisted to pass. Sebastian could not form any words at Quinn's comforting words, and only his blushed cheeks showed he had heard them.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Beiste hope is lost" Mike sadly intervened.

"Yet hope remains while the Company is true" Quinn contradicted him. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil"

Mike and some other elves accompanied them to an enormous tent set for all of them between some giant tree's roots, where they would be able to have a nice and well-deserved rest, far from any danger. Sebastian didn't lose any time to lie down and sleep, and the hobbits were preparing their makeshift beds as Sam and Finn smoked a pipe and Blaine went to get some water for everyone.

As Blaine returned to the tent he could hear Elvish voices singing, and his heart went to his fallen friend.

"A lament for Beiste" he said aloud, though he was pretty much talking to himself.

"What do they say about him?" Marley asked the elf.

"I have not the heart to tell you. For me, the grief is still too near" Blaine answered softly, shakily.

Sam looked up at Blaine and could very well read the sorrow in his eyes. Blaine didn't look back at him for fear of losing it in front of everyone; he just left the water jug he was carrying on the floor, next to the hobbits, and moved away from them all, entering deeper into the forest in his need to be alone.

When almost an hour had passed and Blaine had yet failed to come back, Sam started to worry about the welfare of his loved one. He looked around to make sure everybody was asleep and very quietly he stood up and left the tent in search of Blaine.

He didn't have to go very far to find the elf sitting in the grass between two tall but thin trees, his shoulders slumped, his grief evident in his posture. Sam walked to him and wordlessly sat at his side, putting an arm around Blaine's waist and letting him rest his head on his shoulder.

They stayed like that for some minutes, neither one feeling the need to speak as they knew what the other was thinking. They were just glad to be able to be with each other, to be able to touch and embrace, without anyone noticing.

Blaine was the first to break the silence, though, and turned his body a bit to look directly at Sam's eyes.

"I wanted to give you this when everything was over, but with Beiste..." he stopped his words, not yet ready to talk about it. "I understood everything can change in a second, and what there is now may not be tomorrow, so..." Blaine grabbed Sam's hand and opened it, and then took out something hanging around his neck under his clothes and left in on Sam's hand, before gently closing his fingers around it.

Sam opened his hand again to look at what his lover had placed there, and found the most beautiful pendant he had ever seen. He stared at Blaine thunderstruck, unable to articulate a word, which made his Elvish lover smile.

"It's called the Evenstar, and I want it to be a token of our love"

"But Blaine, I know what this means, you cannot give this to me"

"If you know what it means, then you must know you are the only one who could ever have it"

"If you give it to me you are binding yourself to me, forsaking the immortal life of your people"

"I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the Ages of this World alone"

Sam looked at Blaine as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, shocked and moved in equal parts. As an elf, Blaine was immortal, which meant the only way he could die was in battle or any other violent event, as he couldn't get ill or he didn't age. Which had always been a relief to Sam, because that way he knew he didn't have to worry about his lover in so many aspects.

But he also knew that, to be with him, Blaine had to give away his immortality, represented in that beautiful pendant, as any other elf who fell in love with a mortal creature. And Sam wasn't sure he was ready for such a sacrifice from him.

"I cannot let you give away your immortality" Sam protested, trying to leave the pendant in Blaine's hand again.

"I choose a mortal life" Blaine confidently answered, moving his hands out of Sam's reach as if he had been anticipating his moves.

"You cannot give me this"

"It is mine to give to whom I will... as my heart"

"But Blaine..."

"It's not even my decision to make anymore" Blaine said with a comforting smile while his index finger moved to rest over Sam's lips to keep him from talking. "When I fell in love with you, a mortal, I knew my immortality would banish sooner or later... It's going to happen whether you approve it or not... So please, my love, let me spend the rest of my mortal days at your side, for there isn't anything I'd want more than that"

Sam remained looking at Blaine's huge and beautiful eyes in silence for a few seconds, and then he cupped the elf's cheeks with his hands to bring him nearer to him to capture his lips in a searing and deep kiss that expressed without words how gladly he accepted to spend the rest of their lives together, as he couldn't –nor wanted to– conceive it any other way.

When the kiss broke because lack of air, Sam looked at the Evenstar again and then he put it around his neck.

"It's so beautiful" he told, running his fingers over it, amazed by its beauty.

"You're more beautiful to me, _Mela en' coiamin*_. That's why I want you to have it and never let go of it unless your love for me fades" Blaine answered with a little smile, very aware of how that was never going to happen.

"Then it will always remain with me" Sam promised him as he grabbed the back of his lover's neck a little more roughly this time to capture his lips in a powerful kiss, long and meaningful.

But the long days of worry, grief and pretending turned into longing, becoming a sudden urge to melt with each other, to join their skins together as much as their hearts. Sam gently pushed Blaine's back to the ground and followed after him without breaking the kiss. Blaine started skilfully unbuttoning Sam's shirt and, once it was fully loose, he slid it from Sam's shoulders, bringing it softly down his arms. While Sam lovingly kissed his neck, Blaine could feel his lover's warm skin as he ran his hands through Sam's back, marvelling at the groan that escaped Sam's throat as the elf's hands reached lower on his back.

"I want to feel your skin too, my beautiful love" Sam told him, his voice full of desire as he undid Blaine's shirt agonizingly slow, while not taking his eyes off from those of his lover. " _Amin mela lle_ *" he told him, his voice full of emotion.

" _Amin mela lle_ " Blaine repeated as he lifted his body a little for as to Sam to take his shirt off him once and for all, before they lay back again to resume their passionate kissing, Sam's hands making all the way around Blaine's torso to refresh his memory of the elf's soft skin.

* * *

 _*Mela en' coiamin_ = Love of my life

* _Amin mela lle_ = I love you

* * *

Haldir: Mike


	5. The end of the fellowship

_As usual,_

 ** _Darrinia:_** _Preciosa! Aren't they adorable indeed? :) Yeah, they will have to get over what happened with Beiste, but they're going to suffer much more than that. Gracias, guapísima!_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5: THE END OF THE FELLOWSHIP**

On the morning, the remaining members of the fellowship packed again so they could continue their quest. At least they had been able to spend an enjoyable night, far from danger so they were able to sleep without keeping guard, and now they were feeling more rested. Blaine, especially, was feeling great today, considering he was still carrying the grief of losing Beiste. But it was the first night he had spent in the open, surrounded by nature, after four horrible days trapped under the earth, at Moria. And then he and Sam had renewed their love and had become more bonded through Blaine's gift of the Evenstar to Sam. Blaine felt a new hope in his heart, one hope that he knew would get him and his companions to the end of their Quest, one way or another.

"Every league you travel South the danger will increase. Mordor orcs now hold the eastern shore of the Anduin. You are being tracked. By river you have the chance of outrunning the enemy to the Falls of Rauros" Mike had advised them, and that's why they were going to travel by the river, on three canoes that the Elves from Lothlorien had been kind enough to provide them with.

Before they went, Lady Quinn gave each of them a cloak, that according to her would protect them from cold and would made them go unnoticed in times of need –whatever that might mean–, with a beautiful clasp on the shape of a leaf. And then she went to each of them privately to make a singular gift, just what she knew they needed the most.

"My gift for you, Blaine, is a bow of the Galadhrim, worthy of the skill of our woodland kin. I'm sure you will use it wisely, as the skilled warrior you are becoming, to protect those you love, especially who now is the owner of what once was your most precious possession" Quinn secretly told him, leaving him astounded at discovering that she, in her infinite wisdom, knew all about his love for Sam and his renunciation to immortality.

"Thank you, my lovely Lady. I will make sure to give it the best possible use"

"And for you, Marley Gamgee, Elven rope made of hitlain" she told the shy hobbit, that only was able to murmur his words of gratitude.

"And what gift would a Dwarf ask of the elves?" Quinn asked a very enchanted Sebastian.

"Nothing, except to look upon the lady of the Galadhrim one last time, for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the earth" Sebastian answered, not been able to look in the eye at the most precious Lady he had ever seen. "Actually, there is one thing... No, forget it, it's impossible" Sebastian said, embarrassedly moving away.

"Farewell, Kitty Baggins. I give you the light of Earendil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you in dark places when all other lights go out" she told him, giving him a gleaming bottle full of light to use in times of need. "You must be careful on this Quest. The fellowship is breaking. It has already begun. He will try to take the Ring. You know of whom I speak" She told the hobbit knowingly, and Kitty did know perfectly well who he was referring to.

Then it was the turn for Quinn to talk to Sam. She had known him practically all his life, being Schuester's foster son, and knew how deep he had fallen in love with Blaine, a relationship that worried her to a certain extent because of the consequences it could bring the young elf.

"I have nothing greater to give that the gift you already bear" Quinn told him. "For his love, I fear the grace of Blaine will diminish"

"I would have him leave these shores and be with his people. I would have him take the ship to Valinor" Sam answered her sincerely, for even if he might die from grief himself if Blaine would ever make that final journey to his immortality, he wanted him to be safe, and was still not feeling comfortable at being the reason of Blaine's forsaking his eternal life.

"That choice is yet before him, but I know to his eyes there is no choice to make, as he loves you more than life itself, and can't really conceive an existence where he can't be at your side"

"I know" Sam answered gravely, though he couldn't help to feel some butterflies in his stomach about Lady Quinn's description of Blaine's love for him. "And I feel the same for him, and I will do everything in my power to assure that renouncing to so much because of me will be worth it"

"I know you'll do, Sam, for I can see great love in your heart. You have your own choices to make. There is much you have yet to do on this Quest, and now you're the one that will guide them on this journey"

* * *

When everything was ready, the Fellowship embarked on a new travelling day, this time by water. Blaine and Sebastian, who by some strange miracle were slowly becoming good friends –even if none of them were ready to admit it yet–, overcoming centuries of irrational hate between both their people, travelled in one boat. Sam was in another of the canoes with Kitty, and Finn shared his with Marley.

Sebastian was feeling kind of nostalgic, the departure from the sight of his beloved lady already weighing his heart with a sadness that he decided to share with his travelling companion.

"I have taken my worst wound at this parting having looked my last upon that which is fairest. Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me"

"What was her gift?" Blaine asked, curiously.

"I asked her for one hair from her golden hair. She gave me three"

Blaine smiled at the Dwarf, amused at the change on him since their adventure began.

* * *

As they sailed along the river, Blaine, with his superior Elven-hearing, noticed a numerous bunch of Mordor orcs following them down the left Shore of the river. Mike had been right, they were been tracked, and there was nothing they could do to hide from their foes. At least, while at the river, they were safe.

* * *

At night they made camp at the right Shore, in a secluded place, surrounded by rocks, though one of them would have to keep watch to ensure they would hear any enemy that might threaten their wellbeing.

Finn was watching intently the river, for he had had the strangest sensation of being followed all day. Finally he saw a branch on the river that only half hid a small creature, about hobbit size.

"Rachel" Sam explained, having guessed what Finn was feeling. "She has tracked us since Moria. I had hoped we would lose her on the river, but she's too clever a waterwoman"

"And if she alerts the enemy to our whereabouts it will make the crossing even more dangerous" Finn answered, to which Sam could only nod.

Even if they were not becoming close friends, as Sebastian and Blaine seemed to be doing, Finn and Sam were making a big effort to respect each other, to lean on the other one in battle and to put their differences about the throne of Gondor apart for the sake of their quest. It wasn't always so easy, though.

"Minas Tirith is the safest path, you know that" Finn tried to convince Sam once again to recruit the people of his country, as he had been doing from the beginning. "From there we can regroup, strike out for Mordor from a place of strength"

"There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us" Sam answered, feeling the same uneasiness in him every time Finn made the request of approaching his city.

"You were quick enough to trust the elves" Finn protested, knowing that Sam did not fully trust him or his country. "Have you so little faith in your own people?"

Sam wanted to avoid any confrontation, especially for the sake of the company, so he didn't answer and turned away from Finn, but the latter grabbed him unceremoniously and forced him to look at him again. Blaine, having seen this, jumped from his seat in case he needed to defend his lover.

"You are afraid!" Finn shouted at Sam. "All your life you have been hidden in the shadows, afraid of who you are"

Sam sighed before saying anything, trying to remain calm, and then approached Finn menacingly to whisper his response, so as the others would not hear.

"I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city" and, with that, he definitely moved away from Finn, resting momentarily a hand on Blaine's shoulder as he passed him by to reassure him everything was alright.

* * *

On the afternoon of the next day, after having continued their way along the river on their canoes, they reached the shore again to rest and to plan their next part of the journey.

"We cross the lake at nightfall" Sam announced the rest. "Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the North"

"Oh yes?" Sebastian asked, kind of sarcastically. "Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil, an impassable labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks. And after that, it gets even better"

"That is our road" Sam answered insolently, a bit tired of everyone questioning his decisions, as if they were easy to make. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf"

"Recover my...!" Sebastian exclaimed, angrily, though Sam didn't mind him anymore. He had noticed Blaine standing a few feet away from the rest, very quiet and troubled-looking, as he seemed to be inspecting the other shore with his eyes.

Sam approached him and discreetly laid his hand in the small of Blaine's back, getting his attention immediately, so he gave the elf a sweet smile.

"Everything alright, love?"

"We should leave now" Blaine answered gravely. Sam knew Blaine was the only one, apart from the hobbits, that had not questioned any of his decisions and would never do without a good reason, so alert grew in Sam's heart immediately at the elf's words.

"No, orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for the cover of darkness" Sam explained gently, not wanting Blaine to think he didn't value his opinions.

"It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat have been growing in my mind. Something draws near, I can feel it"

Sam didn't have a chance to ponder what his lover had told him, when Marley called their attention.

"Where's Kitty?" he asked, to no one in particular.

What Sam noticed, though none of the others did, was that Finn was missing too.

* * *

Kitty, who was feeling a strong need to be alone for a while because of the constant pressure of being the Ring-bearer, was wandering around the forests, just walking and thinking.

"None of us should wander alone" Finn, appearing out of nowhere, told her, giving her the fright of her life. It seemed he was collecting dry branches to make a fire. "You, least of all"

Kitty didn't answer and just stared at him. Like Sam, she didn't trust Finn completely, especially after the words of Lady Quinn.

"Kitty?" Finn asked, as he noticed her lack of response, but still Kitty refused to talk. "I know why you seek solitude. You suffer, I see it day by day. There are other ways, Kitty, other paths that we might take"

"I know what you would say" Kitty interrupted him this time. "And it would seem like wisdom but from the warning in my heart"

"Warning? Against what?" Although Kitty didn't answer, Finn knew perfectly well that she was referring to him, and it made him anger. "I only ask for strength to defend my people! If you would lend me the Ring..."

"No!" Kitty firmly denied, as she started walking away from Finn because of the fear she felt of him.

"Why do you recoil? I am no thief" Finn reproached her.

"You are not yourself" Kitty tried to reason with him.

"It is not yours, save by unhappy chance! It could have been mine!" Finn shouted at her as he started pursuing Kitty, who was already running away from him. "It should be mine! Give it to me!" Finn desperately shouted, as he caught up with Kitty and threw her to the floor to fight for the Ring.

"No!" Kitty shouted, but seeing as she was not going to be able to defend herself from a big man like Finn, she had no other choice but to put the Ring on her finger, even if she knew this had consequences –like Sauron seeing her–, and then she disappeared.

Finn was livid with anger.

"I see your mind!" he shouted, even if he couldn't see Kitty. "You will take the Ring to Sauron! You will betray us!"

Finn, completely out of his head, tried to stand up and search for the hobbit, but then he tripped and hit his head on the floor. That's how he came out of the trance that had possessed him, the corruption of the Ring, and realised what he had done.

"Kitty?" he called for her, almost shyly. "What have I done?" he asked himself, repentant. "Please, Kitty, I'm sorry!"

But Kitty was too far away now from Finn to hear him, and just as she took the Ring off her and was visible again, Sam crept behind him unannounced.

"Kitty?" he said, tentatively.

"It has taken Finn" Kitty explained to him.

"Where is the Ring?" Sam asked, and to Kitty he sounded quite threatening.

"Stay away!" Kitty shouted as she bolted away from Sam too.

"Kitty! I swore to protect you" Sam tried to reason with him.

"Can you protect me from yourself?" Kitty said, putting him to test showing him the Ring on the palm of her hand, but Sam just approached her and closed Kitty's fingers around the jewel.

"I would have gone with you to the end, into the very fires of Mordor" Sam told her as he finally understood that Kitty had to continue this journey alone.

"I know" Kitty reassured him, making it clear for Sam that she trusted him completely. "Look after Marley, she will not understand"

Sam nodded just before he heard the unmistakeable sound of orcs ready for battle.

"Kitty, go!" he ordered, as he unsheathed his sword. "Run!"

As Kitty run away from the place to continue with the quest on his own, Sam found himself face to face with dozens of orcs, ready for battle, and without the possibility of getting any help. He closed his eyes for a second to picture Blaine's face on his mind and get strength from their love, and then he sighed and started fighting.

He was giving a great fight, but the big quantity of orcs was forcing him to recoil. Fortunately for him though, Blaine and Sebastian, having heard the clear noises of battle, appeared out of nowhere and started killing orcs efficiently, taking some pressure out of Sam.

The battle was cruel and frenetic, and none of the three warriors were able to stop for a minute to regain their breath, as more and more orcs kept coming to fight them. One of the biggest orcs grabbed Sam by the collar and slammed him against a nearby tree, almost chocking him with the grip on his neck. Fortunately, Blaine had an eye on the battle and another one on covering his lover's back, so he tensed his bow and shot an arrow to the orc's back, killing him instantly. Sam didn't know what had happened until he saw his loved one standing just in front of him when the orc fell, and he nodded at him in gratitude as he received a smile from the elf.

It was then than the horn of Gondor sounded. Finn.

* * *

Finn had been completely unaware of the battle taking place up the hill, but he had seen and heard the orcs chasing Kitty on his way to the river. They were about to take her, when he started running towards them to fight. He may have had made a terrible mistake before, but now it was his chance to mend it.

When he realised there were too many orcs just for him to fight, he took the horn of his belt and made it sound, hoping his companions would hear it and come to their rescue. They were not fast enough, though, as it came the moment when an arrow reached Finn and embedded itself in his chest.

Finn was left breathless at the painful impact for a second, but adrenaline was running high in his veins and he continued fighting with his sword like a madman. Another arrow made its way to his stomach, making him fall to his knees. He looked at Kitty, asking her to run with his gaze, and then he stood up again to fight, refusing to give up just yet. It wasn't until the third arrow protruded from his torso that all strength abandoned him and fell flat on his back.

Kitty felt like a piece of her heart had been torn out, but she knew she had a mission to fulfil, so she dried the tears from her eyes and, as Finn had requested of her, started running towards the river again.

In that moment, Sam came running down the hill, killing some orcs on his way, and the few ones that still remained just ran away, having understood they had already lost that battle. Just one orc remained, the one that seemed to be some kind of leader. He was standing right in front of Finn, his bow ready to shoot. But Sam came up behind him and with one single move of his sword, he cut his head with fury.

Then he ran up to Finn, and there was no need for him to tell him that he was not going to make it. He had three arrows embedded on his torso, and a trickle of blood was present on the corner of his mouth.

"Kitty! Where is Kitty?" Finn asked in desperation as soon as Sam knelt by his side.

"I let Kitty go" Sam answered in a reassuring tone.

"Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from her"

"The Ring is beyond our reach now" Sam tried to comfort him.

"Forgive me. I did not see it and I have failed you all"

"No, Finn. You fought bravely. You have kept your honour" Sam said as his hand moved towards one of the arrows to try and do something to heal him, but Finn stopped him.

"No, leave it. It is over. The world of men will fall and all will come to darkness and my city to ruin"

"I do not know what strength is in my blood but I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall nor our people fail" Sam told him with tears starting to form on his eyes, admitting for the first time that he and Finn had the same roots.

"Our people" Finn repeated, acknowledging that way he had understood Sam's intention.

Blaine and Sebastian arrived at that moment, having just ended up with the last of the Orcs from up the hill, and they immediately saw Sam kneeling over Finn's blood-covered body and they understood what was happening.

"I would have followed you, my brother" Finn told him, intently looking him in the eye. "My captain. My King"

Sam nodded at him and then he could only watch at the last breath of life left Finn's body, finally leaving him to rest. Tears started falling down Sam's cheeks and the only thing he could do to keep his sorrow at bay was to kiss Finn's lifeless forehead.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor" he told him, even though he knew he couldn't hear him anymore, and put Finn's sword on his hand on top of his chest, as the courageous warrior he had been.

Blaine came behind his lover and put his arms around him. Sam rested back his head against Blaine's chest and sobbed sadly, as his lover caressed his hair, not minding his own tears at their fallen friend.

"They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return" Sam murmured, to which Blaine only could squeeze him tighter to him and kiss his forehead.

"I know, my, love. I know" he whispered in his ear, his voice shaky from grief too.

* * *

Finally Kitty could make it to the river, and she stood in front of one of the boats, just waiting for courage to invade her so she would be able to start this personal and even more difficult quest. She sighed and pushed the boat to the water, and then climbed in it and started rowing towards the other shore.

"Madam Kitty!" she heard a voice calling. He turned around and there was Marley, loyal as always. But Kitty knew what she had to do, and didn't even turn around to acknowledge her presence. But it there was a thing that Marley Gamgee had in her in an even bigger proportion than loyalty, that was stubbornness, and she threw herself in the river and started walking towards the boat.

"Go back, Marley!" Kitty shouted, when she understood that she could not ignore her any longer. "I'm going to Mordor alone!"

"Of course you are" Marley answered, patiently. "And I'm coming with you"

By now Marley's feet didn't reach the ground anymore, and she was having a hard time keeping herself afloat.

"You can't swim! Marley!" Kitty shouted at her, but Marley's head was already under the water, so Kitty just rowed back and grabbed Marley's shirt to pull her until she was able to bring her to the safety of the boat.

"I made a promise, Madam Kitty" Marley told her, once she had regained her breath. "A promise to Beiste that I would not leave you alone. And I don't mean to"

Kitty was so moved that she could not form any words, so she did the only thing she could: embrace Marley tightly to her in gratitude. It was decided: Marley would face this terrible journey with her.

* * *

Sam, Sebastian and Blaine returned to the camp they had established prior to everything that had happened that afternoon. As soon as they arrived, Blaine, on his endless impetuousness, grabbed a boat and pushed it to the waters without even checking anyone was following him.

"Hurry!" he encouraged the other two. "Kitty must have reached the eastern shore"

But when Blaine didn't receive any answer he turned around and saw that Sam had not moved from the spot he was standing nor was even looking at him.

"You mean not to follow her" Blaine understood, and for the first time since he knew him, he felt disappointed at Sam and what he believed to be a surrender.

"Kitty's fate is no longer in our hands" Sam tried to explain, feeling the disappointment in his lover.

"Then it has all been in vain. The fellowship has failed" Sebastian sadly said.

Sam looked at his two companions and made a promise to himself that nothing had ended and that, in fact, the war they had to fight to bring peace to Middle-Earth had just started. He approached them and tenderly laid a hand on a shoulder of each of them.

"Not if we hold true to each other. Marley's nowhere to be found. For all we know, the orcs could have taken Marley with them thinking she was Kitty, and we will not abandon her to torment and death. Not while we have strength left"

Sam started packing his weapons to go, while Sebastian and Blaine looked at each other and smiled, glad that their mission had not been a failure yet.

"Leave all that we can spare behind, we travel light" Sam advised them, as they too got ready. "Let's hunt some Orc"

"Yes!" Sebastian shouted, clearly excited at their immediate future, as he started running up the hill again.

Sam was about to follow him, but Blaine grabbed his arm to stop him and, without any warning, he threw his arms around him and kissed him passionately. Sam was startled at first, but he soon put his own arms around his lover's waist and returned the kiss eagerly.

"I wanted you to know I'm very proud of you" Blaine told him, once the kiss broke, as he tenderly removed some of the hair that fell on the human's face.

"You don't know how much that means to me" Sam replied with a shaky smile, kissing Blaine's hand in gratitude.

"I just thought you needed to know" Blaine told him with a smile, as he grabbed his hand and started running up the hill after Sebastian, pulling his lover with him towards the difficult journey ahead of them.

 **END OF PART 1**

* * *

Lady Galadriel: Quinn

* * *

 _ **A/N:** So this is the end of part one. Please, if you're interested in it let me know, otherwise I don't think it's worth it to go for the second one -pity, though, it had much more blam than this one ;)_

 _If you're reading please say something!_


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